I am looking to go for a tour around China this summer. Beijing, Qingdao, shanghai, xian, beijing. I have been riding in BJ for almost 2 years, and been stopped 4 times. Never has it mattered that I didn't have a license. In fact, when the police asked, they were told that I have my American license, and complained more about the fact that I was riding a USED bike!

So does it really matter if I get one or not? What about a Z visa? That is a year long work visa, so i should be able to get the license with that correct?

Well it doesn't matter to us whether you get creamed or not, but do you have any loved ones may care? Does it matter if you get deported? Are you very wealthy to pay fines, compensation etc if something happens with no insurance?

Where in the mainland would you be planning to register? You realize you'll need to be a legal resident of that place, or have a proxy (person who is resident there or a local company) to register a bike.

cheers

thanks for that euphonius

havent planned that far ahead yet but would love to explore china on a bike some day (hopefully soon).

A friend (who will remain anonymous) had a bad experience recently ...

Story:

He came to China on a 1 year multiple-entry tourist visa with a maximum of each stay of 60 days. I told him to get a license, asap. When he tried, he was shot down because he needed a 90 day stay. During one exit, he had a new tourist visa issued with the 90 day stay, BUT felt that since he was only staying another few months, and it takes a month to get the license, he didn't bother.

A few days before he was due to leave China ... bang ... stopped in a road block ... blew into the handheld breathalyzer, and it registered 0.02. Zero tolerance in Beijing - any reading means loss of license, etc, etc, etc. The start of a bad situation.

Asked for his license. He didn't have one. This created BIG trouble.

Vehicle confiscated and taken to impound lot & he's driven to the police station. The police wanted to hold him for 15 days detention, starting then and there. His Chinese wife was with him. She is a senior executive with a Fortune 500 company. She pleaded that her husband was leaving China in a couple of days, that he never drives but did this one time because she was much more inebriated, he has a foreign license, he is also a senior executive, he tried to get a license but was caught up in "the rules", and so on. She helped negotiate the immediacy into a "let's wait until the boss arrives tomorrow, and he can decide." The police let them go home, as long as they returned without delay.

Next day, or so, new boss at the police station - he is adamant that my friend has to go get his license, immediately, even a temporary DL, so that they can revoke it and incarcerate him ... but now the time is up to perhaps 40 days of jail if he can't get a Temp DL, primarily because that is about how long it will take him to get a regular Chinese DL. There is also going to be a huge fine, because of no DL, a criminal record, and deportation.

Hours later, more negotiation, and a decision to speak with another boss in a couple of days. Things were looking very bad.

A couple of days later, more serious decisions to incarcerate, etc ... finally, through a bit of magic ... the entire matter is dropped. The magic did not involve any exchange of funds. I can't say any more.

According to my friend, here is a quick synopsis of what happened ...

1) The zero tolerance & him registering on the hand-held drew attention to him;
2) The lack of a driving license was the BIG issue;
3) The police wanted to hold him until he had a valid DL so that they could immediately take it away, give him a criminal record, and deport him. There was also a big risk that his wife, in whose name the vehicle was registered, would also be subjected to fines & loss of license for permitting him to drive, knowing he was unlicensed.

Several days of stressful agony and a large fee to retrieve the vehicle says two things:

1) Don't drive after ANY consumption of alcohol in Beijing - a 0.02 in many countries would, at most, result in a roadside suspension. Beijing has zero tolerance. Zero means zero.
2) Do NOT drive without a driving license - that was the big issue in this case.

Also, if his Chinese wife was not there, he'd definitely be in jail, awaiting deportation.

By the way, each of these people are very soft-spoken who would never consider losing their temper or inflaming the situation.

He came to China on a 1 year multiple-entry tourist visa with a maximum of each stay of 60 days. I told him to get a license, asap. When he tried, he was shot down because he needed a 90 day stay. During one exit, he had a new tourist visa issued with the 90 day stay, BUT felt that since he was only staying another few months, and it takes a month to get the license, he didn't bother.

What magic do you need to pull to get a 90 day tourist visa stay I wonder?

1) Don't drive after ANY consumption of alcohol in Beijing - a 0.02 in many countries would, at most, result in a roadside suspension. Beijing has zero tolerance. Zero means zero.
2) Do NOT drive without a driving license - that was the big issue in this case.

Good advice anywhere of course, but even more so in China I suspect. Quite a scary story, thanks for sharing it, it should help scare of people who think of riding illegally!

Interestingly, I've read that Washington DC has a zero-tolerance policy as well, and its a problem for some people. I guess a few people naturally register on the BAC scale, and other people take medication that causes them to register even when they haven't had a drink.

Good advice anywhere of course, but even more so in China I suspect. Quite a scary story, thanks for sharing it, it should help scare of people who think of riding illegally!

Interestingly, I've read that Washington DC has a zero-tolerance policy as well, and its a problem for some people. I guess a few people naturally register on the BAC scale, and other people take medication that causes them to register even when they haven't had a drink.

Well, I'd be looking over my shoulder in California too. Here's something I read in the San Jose Merc.....

Question: My boyfriend and I are having an animated discussion over how much a ticket would cost if you are caught driving drunk. He says a lot; maybe a few thousand dollars. I say a lot more. Neither of us would drink and drive, but a lot of our friends do. Maybe a warning from you would persuade a few to find someone else to drive or give up their keys after a night of partying.
Mary Delgado
San Jose

Answer: With St. Patrick's Day coming up Thursday, here are some numbers from the Department of Motor Vehicles that you may find sobering. Costs for a first-time conviction vary, but they can run up to $13,000 in fines, penalty assessments and insurance increases. A conviction could also result in a jail sentence of up to six months, and DUI convictions now remain on your driving record for 10 years.

For a first-time conviction, the DMV will suspend a person's driving privilege for six months and the offending driver must complete a DUI program, provide evidence of insurance and pay a $125 fee to get his or her license back. A second or subsequent offense within 10 years will result in a one-year suspension.
Got to www.dmv.ca.gov/dl/driversafety/dsalcohol.htm for more information.

And another warning. Police will set up DUI checkpoints throughout the Bay Area Thursday night. If you see a drunken driver on the road, don't hesitate to call 911. And if you know people who are about to drive after having too much to drink, take their keys and help them make other arrangements to get to where they need to go safely.

on the east coast you need to have a licence
in the middle and west they don't really care or are propably to confused that you're a foreigner, but in case of an accident and can't pay them off its better to have a licence

on the east coast you need to have a licence
in the middle and west they don't really care or are propably to confused that you're a foreigner, but in case of an accident and can't pay them off its better to have a licence

Dear bigmonkey,

You might want to go back and read Slabo's Had an Accident thread. You'll note he's in Kunming, which, if China had time zones, would be about three zones west of eastern China. I'd argue that in any major city in China, and by that I mean any city with 1 million or more population, of which there are probably several hundred now, you are in deep sh*t if you are an expat and get into an accident and are not properly licensed and registered. Police have requested my documents in Guizhou and Yunnan provinces, as well as in eastern China.

I can't tell from your profile where you are residing, but if you are indeed finding license and/or registration unnecessary there, please tell us more about it!

You might want to go back and read Slabo's Had an Accident thread. You'll note he's in Kunming, which, if China had time zones, would be about three zones west of eastern China. I'd argue that in any major city in China, and by that I mean any city with 1 million or more population, of which there are probably several hundred now, you are in deep sh*t if you are an expat and get into an accident and are not properly licensed and registered. Police have requested my documents in Guizhou and Yunnan provinces, as well as in eastern China.

I can't tell from your profile where you are residing, but if you are indeed finding license and/or registration unnecessary there, please tell us more about it!

cheers

no, it's absolutely necessary. I meant to reply on wanglong "I am looking to go for a tour around China this summer. Beijing, Qingdao, shanghai, xian, beijing. I have been riding in BJ for almost 2 years, and been stopped 4 times. Never has it mattered that I didn't have a license. In fact, when the police asked, they were told that I have my American license, and complained more about the fact that I was riding a USED bike!"

I mean in the east you would probably get stopped more.
In Hunan where i reside a lot of people ride without plates or licence.
Ofcourse, in case of an accident you'll have big problems.